It was a lethargic start to the game for the Magic. Then all of a sudden, the building awoke.
Victor Oladipo, donning a mask for the first time, entered the game with 3:45 left in the first quarter. The Magic were struggling to get the ball in the basket and run anything resembling an offense — limiting themselves to isolations and forced post ups. Orlando trailed by nine points as the Bucks paraded to the hoop for easy basket after easy basket.
The crowd came alive as Oladipo came in. It was a loud roar, perhaps enough to wake the Magic up from that initial slumber.
He certainly showed his rust, but the composure he brought to the ball and his willingness to constantly and continually attack the basket put the spark in the Magic they needed.
The Bucks found it tougher to get their shots, settling for mid-range jumpers and 3-pointers. Soon their top-rated defense would falter too as the Magic went to the line on numerous occasions and moved the ball in a fluid manner. It was not perfect. Nothing ever will be. But the Magic had their sparkplug back and you could tell it as they ran away for a 101-85 victory at Amway Center on Friday night — a win that finally gave the Magic starters the chance to watch a win from the bench.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
| Milwaukee | 85 | 85.7 | 46.3 | 12.5 | 17.3 | 17.5 |
| Orlando | 101 | 103.2 | 50.0 | 23.3 | 14.8 | 33.8 |
“As a team, we’re all excited to get him back,” Tobias Harris said. “He brought a great scoring threat for us. We were able to respond off that. As a team, we did a great job picking each other up even when we were down. We had a slow start. They had too many points in the paint in the first half. Second half, that is what we focused on. Through the course of the game we got better, and that’s an important thing.”
Oladipo’s statistical effect was modest — 13 points, 3-for-10 shooting and 6-for-8 from the foul line. He was a team-best +22 for the game on the plus/minus ledger. His impact was that clear. He brought calm and patience to the point guard position, pushing the pace like he had been on the floor numerous times already. He was confident, not afraid to let his shot fly when he was open and attacking the paint otherwise.
Some of that was surely playing on adrenaline. His legs were still working to get under him. He missed a few open looks. But, then again, he drained a 3-pointer too. He kept the ball moving for two assists. His energy became infectious.
Orlando had cleaned up its act after that sluggish first quarter.
Milwaukee scored 42 points in the paint in the first half and 30 points in the first quarter. After those opening 12 minutes, the Bucks went cold. They were 8 for 37 (21.6 percent) on shots outside the paint and ended up with just 14 points in the paint in the second half. Orlando stifled the Milwaukee offense. The Bucks failed to reach 20 points in a quarter after scoring with so much ease in the first quarter.
The Bucks ended up shooting 2 for 19 from beyond the arc. And then they could not get out of their own way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyw1a4a6eYA
That aggression from Oladipo started to work its way through. Orlando had 27 free throw attempts and drew 25 fouls (only committing 15 itself). This was not the same Magic team that committed fouls at a high rate and struggled to get to the line consistently.
Again, the effect seemed measurable.
“I think the immediate picture that you see painted because of Vic being able to play is our penetration level — 27 free throw attempts by us tonight,” Jacque Vaughn said. “That ability to get downhill himself and also to cause a defense to collapse, we need that.”
There is no telling whether Oladipo will do that again tomorrow night in Washington — or even if he would play in that game. That might depend on how he feels in the morning. Oladipo is clearly still getting his wind back under him — although he said after the game that it was fine overall.
Oladipo obviously will not do it alone either though. He will need Tobias Harris (26 points, 10 rebounds, 10-for-18 shooting), Nikola Vucevic (18 points, nine rebounds) and Evan Fournier (15 points, 3-for-6 shooting on 3-pointers) to come along for the ride and support when needed too. Oladipo is not a one-man show. But the ball seemed to move so much better with the energy he brought to the game.
For the third straight game, the Magic took a double-digit lead in the second half. For the first time, they never let the game get too close. Milwaukee made a quick run in the fourth quarter to cut it to seven and got no closer. From the 5:55 mark on, the Magic finished on a 11-2 run.
There would be no excitement at the end in this game.
“Tonight was a little better,” Fournier said. “Even though we had a little stretch of two minutes where we allowed them to score six points. Overall, it was pretty good.
“It feels good to go on the bench knowing that the game is over. It’s a great feeling. We’re getting better.”
And the team can only get better with Victor Oladipo back in the lineup. You could sense he was bursting at the seams waiting for this opportunity and this chance. Waiting for that doctor’s clearance and to get back onto the floor. Whatever he had to do.
In the 25 minutes he had Friday night, he got his chance and played like Oladipo.
“I was just going out there and being patient, trying to find my teammates and going out there and have some fun,” Oladipo said. “I couldn’t care less what happened today. I wanted to win first and foremost, but as far as me playing individually, I could care less. I just wanted to win. It’s just a blessing being out there helping my team win.”